Retired Knox County Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Joe D. Duncan passed away on Tuesday, Aug. 20 in Farragut. He was 100 years old.
In 1990, Judge Duncan retired from the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. He was elected to the post by Governor Winfield Dunn in 1975. Prior to his appointment, Judge Duncan was elected to the bench as the Criminal Court Judge for Knox County in 1966, where he served for nine years.
Before his judicial career, Judge Duncan practiced law with Ray Ford from 1957 to 1966 and at Duncan & Duncan with his older brother, John J. Duncan, Sr., from 1949 to 1950 and again from 1953 to 1957. He left the law firm in 1950 for a three-year assignment as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Upon returning from the FBI, Judge Duncan joined the Fountain City post of the American Legion and then the Knoxville post, holding local, district, and division offices. In 1963 he was elected state commander of the American Legion in Tennessee, making Joe and his brother John the only two brothers in the United States who both served as Department Commanders of the American Legion.
Judge Duncan was born on Feb. 11, 1924. He grew up on a farm in Scott County, Tenn. He enlisted in the United States Army and transferred to the Air Force, where he served as a navigator during World War II from 1943 to 1945. By war’s end, he had reached the rank of Second Lieutenant.
Following World War II, Judge Duncan returned home to Knoxville where he married his lifelong friend and childhood sweetheart Lou Etta (Lou) Phillips Duncan. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee and his LLM degree from UT College of Law.
Judge Duncan is survived by his son Philip David Duncan; daughter-in-law Leslie Ann Duncan; grandchildren Meredyth Phillips Duncan and Tyler Witte Duncan; special nephew Jason Mitchell Phillips; and other nieces, nephews, and cousins in both Phillips and Duncan families. He was preceded in death by his wife Lou Etta (Lou) Phillips Duncan who passed away in April 2017.
The family will receive friends on Thursday, Sept. 5 from 5 p.m.-7 p.m., at Rose Mortuary located at 6200 Kingston Pike in Knoxville. A funeral service will immediately follow visitation.
Graveside services including a military service are set for Friday, Sept. 6 at 1 p.m.. Family and friends will depart from Rose Mortuary at 11:30 a.m., with an escort to the Duncan Family Cemetery located at 709 Baker Highway in Huntsville, Tenn.. Due to potential congestion on I-75 North those attending are encouraged to join the caravan to Scott County.
If you would like to contribute to the Duncan Family Cemetery please mail your contribution to Jodi Naderhoff at:
5255 Hampton Lane
Columbus OH
43220
Or via Venmo at: [DuncanFamilyCemetery](https://venmo.com/u/DuncanFamilyCemetary).
You may also donate to Cassie Duncan Education Fund c/o Phil Dunn:
214 S West Street
Falls Church VA
22046
The fund awards an annual scholarship one Scott County student seeking career education.
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